Met Police: The 'dark corner' of the force where Wayne Couzens worked

Among the galore damning criticisms of the Metropolitan Police, 2 specializer units travel nether peculiarly searing scrutiny - including 1 wherever Wayne Couzens and David Carrick some worked.

The men were equipped officers successful the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection (PaDP) Command, a portion Baroness Louise Casey describes arsenic a "dark corner" of the Met.

The different squad she singles retired is the Met's Specialist Firearms unit, known arsenic MO19, a squad wherever "normal rules bash not look to apply."

A full section of the 363-page report highlights superior concerns, with the toxic cultures of bullying, racism and ableism, and elitist attitudes successful the units.

Baroness Casey began her reappraisal of the Met aft the abduction, rape and execution of Sarah Everard by Couzens, past a serving constabulary officer.

While carrying retired her inquiry, Carrick, different Met officer, was convicted of a bid of rapes, intersexual offences and torture of women.

Baroness Casey said their erstwhile portion was a "dark corner" of the force.

Made up of astir 1,000 equipped and unarmed officers, they are liable for patrolling the Palace of Westminster, New Scotland Yard, Downing Street and embassies crossed London.

But Baroness Casey's reappraisal describes PaDP arsenic having a bullying culture, a squad wherever lone 10% of officers and unit are female, 7% of which are pistillate officers.

"Officers said debased turnover of staff, boredom, deficiency of supervision and skewed demographics successful the Command had led to a civilization of inappropriate comments disguised arsenic 'banter'," the study says.

"The deficiency of females determination meant that men conscionable came retired with worldly that was rather offensive, and determination was ne'er immoderate accountability due to the fact that the Inspectors were not present."

It adds that galore successful PaDP thought they were seen successful the Met arsenic officers who had "failed to get into MO19".

Mention of the Met's Specialist Firearms unit, MO19, "usually elicited an oculus rotation from existent and erstwhile Met officers and unit we spoke to," Baroness Casey said successful her report.

The reappraisal painted a damning picture.

"It appeared to beryllium good known what it was similar there," it said. "But determination was a consciousness that it either could not beryllium challenged oregon that immoderate effort to would neglect due to the fact that of the overriding civilization of the unit."

Officers and unit successful MO19 are described arsenic an "inner circle" and "clique" who person worked unneurotic for years. One serviceman described these networks arsenic a "spider's web" influencing who gets promoted oregon handed prestigious jobs.

"There is simply a 'boys club' that looks aft its ain successful the unit," said 1 respondent, adding: "There are powerfulness couples... this is 1 of the astir insidious issues we have... they walk accusation astir quicker than a radio."

Baroness Casey says erstwhile her reappraisal squad visited MO19 they saw sexism successful plain sight.

"Male officers often interrupted and spoke implicit pistillate officers, including those much elder to them," she wrote.

"A antheral firearms officers openly expressed the presumption that women tin "struggle sometimes with handling the weapons due to the fact that of their carnal size."

Female officers besides spoke openly astir MO19 being a "men's department".

An interior survey of radical who near MO19 betwixt January 2019 and March 2022 recovered each pistillate responsive and interviewee said they experienced intersexual harassment, inappropriate comments and inadequate facilities.

"It's the astir toxic, racist, sexist spot I've ever worked…it's conscionable an unbelievable place," said 1 respondent.

One pistillate serviceman who gave grounds said she erstwhile asked astatine a grooming installation wherever the toilets were. She was "brushed off" by elder officers and told to "use the woods".

On different juncture a poster appeared successful an MO19 communal country which had been photoshopped to amusement a pistillate firearms serviceman carrying mops, irons and kettles alternatively of weapons.

Another alarming uncovering said determination is simply a maneuver astir the usage of WhatsApp, Signal oregon Telegram messages erstwhile a radical has go "compromised" - by mode of a ailment astir the group's contents oregon idiosyncratic nether a misconduct investigation.

"We were told officers are taught to benignant 'LANDSLIDE' into the group. Officers volition past instantly permission the group, delete its contents and make a caller radical nether a caller name."

Baroness Casey's squad were told elder officers who had tried to situation the civilization wrong MO19 were "warned off" from making further complaints if they wanted to advancement their careers.

While the findings are concerning, Baroness Casey makes wide that she and her squad are indebted to the equipped officers who enactment successful 1 of the astir challenging areas of policing.

At a moment's notice, she says they tin beryllium called upon to hazard their lives to support the nationalist and immoderate of London's astir high-risk nationalist landmarks.

However, Baroness Casey is wide that the civilization and behaviours wrong these 2 units request to beryllium addressed urgently.

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